Fla. woman on crack gives birth in bathtub; bites off umbilical cord

The newborn is in critical condition; the mother said she gave the baby breaths for nearly an hour before calling 911

News 13

OCALA, Fla. — An infant is in critical condition days after his mother said she gave birth in a Marion County motel bathtub while on a 24-hour drug binge.

Chrystal Hassell, 37, told investigators she, her boyfriend and her 11-month-old child checked into a motel room at the Vacation Host Inn on Friday night in Ocala. She said that even though she was seven months pregnant, she started going into labor after smoking crack cocaine for an entire day.

Vincent Terry, Hassell's boyfriend, left with the 11-month-old boy to run an errand, so Hassell delivered the baby alone in the bathtub. According to a Marion County Sheriff's Office report, Hassell even cut the umbilical cord with her teeth.

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